Rupert Kelly (top left), Daniel Parrot (top right), Gavin Challis (bottom left) and Jason Tongue (bottom right) were all jailed for planning to import cannabis from Morocco into the UK. Picture: NCA A GANG spearheaded by a Dorset man built up a ‘advanced plan to import a huge quantity of cannabis’ into the UK – before being discovered by National Crime Agency. He planned to sell each kilo for between £3,000 to £3,500 – yielding at least £3 million in income. Bristol Crown Court heard how Kelly, Gavin Challis, 46, from Essex and Daniel Parrot and Jason Tongue, both aged 47 and from Nottinghamshire, conspired to collect the packages of Class B drugs from a moored yacht, land at the Cornish Coast to then be distributed across the country.
Four members of an organised crime group who conspired to import cannabis on a yacht into the UK have been jailed following a National Crime Agency investigation.
The men used encrypted comms platform EncroChat to plan the importation of the Class B drug from Morocco between 29 February and 1 June 2020.
Part of Operation Venetic – the UK law enforcement response to the takedown of EncroChat – the NCA’s investigation found that the group had discussed the quantity of drugs to be transported, also finding images of the RHIB and landing areas for the cannabis.
Led by Rupert Kelly, 29, from Broadwindsor, Dorset, the crime group conspired to use a yacht and a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) to offload the drugs in Cornwall for distribution across the UK.
By Lewis Berrill @LewisBerrill Chief reporter - east London and west Essex
(Top left to right) Rupert Kelly, Daniel Parrot, Gavin Challis, and Jason Tongue. Photo: National Crime Agency. A Nazeing man is one of four members of an organised crime group who conspired to import cannabis on a yacht into the UK who have been jailed following a National Crime Agency investigation. The men used encrypted comms platform EncroChat to plan the importation of the Class B drug from Morocco between February 29 and June 1 2020. Part of Operation Venetic – the UK law enforcement response to the takedown of EncroChat – the investigation found the group had discussed the quantity of drugs to be transported, also finding images of the boat and landing areas for the cannabis.